Houthis Threaten to Prevent UN Aid Flights from Landing at Sanaa Airport

Houthi militants in Sanaa on September 27, 2018. (AFP)
Houthi militants in Sanaa on September 27, 2018. (AFP)
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Houthis Threaten to Prevent UN Aid Flights from Landing at Sanaa Airport

Houthi militants in Sanaa on September 27, 2018. (AFP)
Houthi militants in Sanaa on September 27, 2018. (AFP)

The Iran-backed Houthi militias in Yemen have decided to prevent United Nations aid flights from landing at Sanaa airport in the latest attempt to extort the international community and avoid the implementation of the mechanism to organize the import of fuel through Hodeidah ports.

The decision was taken at a time when regions under Houthi control have been witnessing a severe fuel shortage for months.

The legitimate government had ordered the suspension of the import of fuel from Hodeidah after the Houthis violated the temporary UN-sponsored agreement, reached in 2019, and looted some 60 million dollars in fuel shipment revenues that were supposed to be dedicated to paying the salaries of public employees.

The transportation minister in the unrecognized Houthi government announced Sunday that the militias will bar UN aid shipments from unloading at Sanaa airport due to an alleged oil derivatives shortage at the facility. He also accused the UN of being “biased and ineffective”.

Contradicting Houthi allegations, a report by the legitimate government confirmed that the militias have enough fuel to meet demands until the end of October. It accused the Houthis of deliberately sparking the crisis in order to raise prices in the black market.

UN envoy to Yemen, Martin Griffiths had last week expressed his deep concern over the severe fuel shortage in Houthi-held regions, warning of its “catastrophic” impact on the people.

He said his office was in constant contact with the warring parties to reach an urgent solution that would ensure that fuel is imported through Hodeidah port and that the revenues would go to paying public sector wages.



Erdogan Says Türkiye Ready to Help with Ceasefire in Gaza

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attends the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, November 19, 2024. (Reuters)
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attends the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, November 19, 2024. (Reuters)
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Erdogan Says Türkiye Ready to Help with Ceasefire in Gaza

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attends the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, November 19, 2024. (Reuters)
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attends the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, November 19, 2024. (Reuters)

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday that Türkiye was ready to help in any way possible to establish a lasting ceasefire in Gaza, and expressed satisfaction with the ceasefire agreement that has come into effect in Lebanon.

Türkiye, which has fiercely criticized Israel's offensives in Gaza and Lebanon, has previously said it discussed a potential truce in Gaza with Palestinian armed group Hamas and gave the group recommendations on how to proceed with the negotiations.

On Tuesday, US President Joe Biden said the United States would again push for an elusive ceasefire in the Palestinian enclave of Gaza "with Türkiye, Egypt, Qatar, Israel and others".

"We are stating that, as Türkiye, we are ready to provide any contribution for the massacre in Gaza to end and for a lasting ceasefire to be achieved," Erdogan told members of his ruling AK Party in parliament.

Asked about Biden's remarks, a Turkish official told Reuters a ceasefire in Lebanon without a truce in Gaza was not enough to achieve regional stability, adding Ankara was ready to help reach a deal in Gaza, just as it had supported previous efforts.

"We are again ready to help achieve a permanent ceasefire and a lasting solution in Gaza," the official said.

While Ankara has repeatedly traded insults with Israel since the outbreak of the Gaza war, it has not officially severed ties with it. Unlike Israel and its Western partners, Türkiye does not consider Hamas a terrorist organization and regularly hosts some of its senior members.